“I find it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr. Brendon Ayanbadejo would publicly endorse Same-Sex marriage, specifically as a Raven Football player,” Burns wrote in the letter first obtained by WBAL-TV. “Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other.

“Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment and excitement,” Burns continued. “I believe Mr. Ayanbadejo should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.

“I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing.”

Wetzel goes on at length about how the Ravens doing this would be unfeasible under the collective bargaining agreement and wholly undesirable. He also points out there is a precedent for prominent football players wading into controversial social issues. There’s no need to get into marriage equality in this forum. We’ll simply say we support NFL players actively and intelligently engaging with their communities and making off-the-field headlines for things besides drunk driving and domestic violence.

Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNECaYCSYjo A.P.

/pays spencer to take care of Emmett C Burns

http://newsbusters.org/ ohheelyeah

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbedejo is an active gay marriage advocate. Maryland house of delegates member Emmett C. Burns, a Democrat, was “appalled and aghast.” He sent a letter to Ravens owner Steven Biscotti requesting the linebacker be forced to “cease and desist” his “injurious actions.”

If those aren’t some names out of central casting, I don’t know what are. Are they using those names to protect the innocent?

http://twitter.com/mmeadeny Lorenzo Von Matterhorn

Politicians have to be the most useless people on the planet. He didn’t have anything better to do than write this insane letter?

captain_spalding

wow, so not a big fan of the first ammendment are we?

What a dipshit.

Babar 2.0

Burns made a lot of sweeping assumptions too…it was basically just a well written Yahoo/YouTube comment.

You keep on using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

/Enigo Montoya

http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

“Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment and excitement,” Burns continued. “I believe Mr. Ayanbadejo should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.”

Could have saved himself some time if he just said what he was really thinking: “Dance, boy”

Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez has the highest WAR evah!

Emmett C. Burns, a Democrat, was “appalled and aghast.” He sent a letter to Ravens owner Steven Biscotti requesting the linebacker be forced to “cease and desist” his “injurious actions.”

Give a Negro Preacher a copy of Ellen Phillips’ book and he thinks he can change the world.

http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

After a quick Google search it’s been revealed that Emmett C Burns is black so strike my last remark

http://newsbusters.org/ ohheelyeah

wow, so not a big fan of the first amendment are we?

yeah, about that. See, marriage isn’t mentioned one time in the constitution, and definitely not in the first amendment. If you want to talk amendments, let me point you to the 10th amendment and you can go from there.

/team get the federal govt out of the marriage/union business entirely
//if not, then let states recognize any sort of civil union at the state level and leave “marriage” where it started, in religious organizations

jdeeser5

Yup, the Democratic party use to defend slavery. Think this guy believes it still exists. You know, just work and keep your mouth shut and you won’t get whipped.

Monster is Meth

Think this guy believes it still exists.

The guy is black according to Butters.

ATLDan

yeah, about that. See, marriage isn’t mentioned one time in the constitution, and definitely not in the first amendment. If you want to talk amendments, let me point you to the 10th amendment and you can go from there.

/team get the federal govt out of the marriage/union business entirely
//if not, then let states recognize any sort of civil union at the state level and leave “marriage” where it started, in religious organizations

He was talking about freedom of speech

/Team Reading Comprehension

Monster is Meth

Yep just checked. Definitely of the darker variety.

captain_spalding

definitely not in the first amendment

I was going with the whole freedom of speech thing.

http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

I think the numbers bear out that by demographic the only people who hate gays on par with the elderly are of the black persuasion so this makes sense

http://www.majorleaguejerk.com/ spencer096

good for him.

jim

I was going with the whole freedom of speech thing.

How many times do we have to go over this? Freedom of speech only protects you from certain government restrictions, not broad protection from employers or other private entities.

http://newsbusters.org/ ohheelyeah

Didn’t pick up on the freedom of speech angle for the player. My bad.

captain_spalding

~slaps head~

http://www.h8torade.com PL StabbinKabin

The guy is black

You shut your whore mouth, MS is not here to defend himself.

Blount Force Trauma

How many times do we have to go over this? Freedom of speech only protects you from certain government restrictions, not broad protection from employers or other private entities.

I believe a representative of the State House of Delegates asking an employer to put a muzzle on an employee for voicing his opinion would meet the “The Government Can’t Do That” threshold.

https://twitter.com/arkbadger arkbadger

so this is when Ayanbadejo shows up at the Maryland house of delegates and re-enacts every Terry Tate – Office Linebacker scene, right?

jrd.x

How many times do we have to go over this? Freedom of speech only protects you from certain government restrictions, not broad protection from employers or other private entities.

I think an elected member of the state government writing a letter to your boss, strongly encouraging your boss to force you to STFU, makes this a possible first amendment issue.

If your boss complies out of fear, the government has coerced its way on to your first amendment rights.